Small and medium sized businesses and corporations spend over one billion dollars per year in outsourced seminar programs. The seminar programs typically take the form of training in areas such as technology updates, management/leadership, sales strategies and initial, web-based on-the-job training. The teaching modalities used in these seminar programs have historically been presented using a T-bar situation analysis methodology and implemented as paper-based flipcharts and/or 3-ring binders of antiquated information. This paper-based approach has demonstrated little effectiveness in changing the behavior and follow up of participants, and is fast becoming outmoded in society's exciting new information age.
Today's generation is being taught by the latest modalities of information access, including Internet, web-based programs and CD-ROM/DVD interactive models. These upgraded modalities, however, have not been applied in the field of sales training. Moreover, although there is approximately a 250 million dollar nationwide market for outsourced seminars, no existing company has integrated their approach with the personal management systems of the future, such as Palm, Inc.'s Palm™ handheld devices, Internet Commerce Corp.'s ACT!™ contact manager, and Microsoft's Outlook®.